You will say what you want with istemek and what you need with lazım, and see why the two sentences are built so differently.
The idea
istemek (to want) is a regular verb: istiyorum, istiyorsun, istiyor, istiyoruz, istiyorsunuz, istiyorlar. It takes a noun (çay istiyorum; a definite object takes the accusative: bu kitabı istiyorum) or an infinitive in -mek/-mak (gitmek istiyorum). To say you need something, Turkish uses lazım (“necessary”): the person who needs goes in the dative (bana, sana, ona, bize, size, onlara) and the thing needed has no ending: Bana su lazım. lazım never changes for person.
| Person | Present of istemek | Dative for lazım | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ben | istiyorum | bana | Bana çay lazım. |
| sen | istiyorsun | sana | Sana kalem lazım. |
| o | istiyor | ona | Ona zaman lazım. |
| biz | istiyoruz | bize | Bize harita lazım. |
| siz | istiyorsunuz | size | Size yardım lazım mı? |
| onlar | istiyorlar | onlara | Onlara bilet lazım. |
Examples
- Ben bir çay istiyorum.I would like a tea.
- Yarın eve gitmek istiyorum.I want to go home tomorrow.
- Bana biraz su lazım.I need some water.The person who needs goes in the dative (bana, “to me”); the thing needed has no ending. Lazım never changes for the person.
- Sana para lazım mı?Do you need money?
- Bu kitabı istiyorum.I want this book.A definite object (this book) takes the accusative: kitabı. An indefinite one does not: bir kitap istiyorum.
- Çocuklar dondurma istiyor.The children want ice cream.With a plural noun as the subject the verb is usually singular: çocuklar istiyor. Istiyorlar is also possible.
- Biz sinemaya gitmek istemiyoruz.We do not want to go to the cinema.
- Bugün dinlenmek lazım.We need to rest today.Without a person, lazım with a plain infinitive says what has to be done in general. For yourself add the possessive ending: gitmem lazım, “I need to go”.
- içmekto drinkiçmek-mek / -mak: the infinitive
- almakto take, to buyalmak-mek / -mak: the infinitive
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Watch out
Do not say Ben su lazım: the one who needs is not the subject but “to me”, so it is Bana su lazım. After istemek the second verb stays an infinitive (gitmek istiyorum, not gidiyorum istiyorum), and the negative goes on istemek: istemiyorum.
Try it yourself
Complete with istemek in the present: I want tea.
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istiyorum
istiyorum: the final e of iste- drops before -iyor, and -um stands for “I”.
Add the person: I need water.
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Bana
Bana: the person who needs is in the dative, and ben becomes bana irregularly, not bene.
Say it in the negative: We do not want to go home.
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istemiyoruz
istemiyoruz: the negative -me- belongs on istemek, not on gitmek, and -uz stands for “we”.
Complete with istemek: The children want water.
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istiyor / istiyorlar
istiyor or istiyorlar: after a plural noun the verb is usually singular, but istiyorlar is also correct.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with istemek in the present: I want tea.
Add the person: I need water.
Say it in the negative: We do not want to go home.
Complete with istemek: The children want water.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: to drink
Tap the parts in order to build this word: to take, to buy
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Write four sentences: two about things you want and two about things you need. In each lazım sentence, check that the person is in the dative.